Transformation roundtable: Using data in transformation and change programmes

Date: 19 November 2024

Facilitated by Jo Froggatt, Assistant Director of Policy and Performance at Ashfield District Council.

Speakers:

• Simone Thomas, Senior Manager for Strategic Data Systems, Cheshire West and Chester Council
• Alex Shiell, Service Manager – Policy, Strategy, and Transformation, Rushmoor Borough Council

Cheshire West and Chester Council, shared their background in technology and IT services, highlighting experience in systems, digital processes, and data management. Currently, they have set up a data engineering team to address the council's need for better data pipelines and process improvements. 

Recognising the value of data science, they’ve introduced student internships to build the team’s skills, which has allowed the council to create dashboards, automate tasks, and start using predictive modelling over the past two and a half years, improving both efficiency and effectiveness.

At Cheshire West and Chester, they have a "data hive" initiative, which connects corporate teams working with data to operational teams with specialist knowledge of their areas. This has improved performance monitoring and supported strategic projects by combining data from different sources, giving a clearer view of services. 

They stressed the importance of integrating digital, data, and technology under one director to ensure a joined-up approach to transformation. These efforts have streamlined data processes, enabling teams to focus on their strengths while improving the council’s ability to make operational and strategic decisions.

Rushmoor Borough Council explained that the council operates on a smaller scale compared to others, particularly in terms of available resources. The transformation and change team has expanded from focusing solely on digital services to a broader role, including policy, strategy, and cross-functional coordination. This shift has enabled the team to influence and improve various aspects of council operations.

It was emphasised that the team’s main goal is to deliver "best value," as defined by the Local Government Act, by improving effectiveness, efficiency, and economy. The team works to streamline customer services by digitising processes, reducing costs, and focusing staff on those needing personalised assistance. 

They gather user research, customer feedback, and councillor input to improve service delivery. To increase efficiency, the council automates processes, freeing staff to focus on tasks that add value and redesigns processes to eliminate inefficiencies. Despite financial constraints, the team strives to cut costs while ensuring value for money. They have created a model to assess services, helping to prioritise transformation projects and direct resources where needed most.

One delegate found insights on data and financial forecasting interesting and asked how the success of the service is measured to ensure changes lead to positive outcomes for customers. They also inquired whether efforts to gather data have resulted in improvements to ongoing data management within the SEND workstream?

Cheshire West and Chester described the project as significant as it requires extensive service design and collaboration with schools, parents, and carers. An internal governance group supports these efforts, while the data team focuses on managing systems and prioritising SEND data, particularly pupil-level returns. The team is currently building operational reports and tracking metrics like the 20-week EHCP turnaround, alongside monitoring programme benefits. They have developed a forecast model, which will be continuously refined and has proven effective in adult social care. Ongoing work aims to strengthen day-to-day reporting and ensure accurate financial tracking, with continuous improvements underway.

One council highlighted the concept of "curiosity" mentioned in both presentations, distinguishing between analytical and organisational curiosity. They asked how the conditions are created within an organisation to foster bravery and curiosity, enabling the work presented and to take risks.

Cheshire West and Chester explained that the work on SEND began when they set up a data engineering team to address challenges, particularly around data and reporting. The team worked with school census data and aligned with the transformation team on high-needs pupils, with success attributed to the collective efforts of a well-established team and project prioritisation.

Rushmoor also shared that their team overcame initial resistance to data use, starting by collaborating with others and focusing on data with empathy. Over time, the team built confidence and skills.

One delegate asked again whether they should be using data lakes and AI?

One speaker explained that their approach is tailored to the council’s scale, where much of the data comes from basic systems like contact centres and case management. Rather than spending time consolidating data for tools like Power BI, they prefer to use the data directly and extract relevant pieces. They stressed the importance of not over-investing in preparation and highlighted that AI tools like Copilot are still in the initial stages of exploration. The team’s priority is to start using the data in the right way to design interventions, rather than spending excessive time preparing systems.

The other speaker explained that the SEND work focused on understanding its financial impact on the council, starting with the use of spreadsheet data and system data, despite quality issues. Early efforts were not perfect, but the team worked with what was available, acknowledging data quality concerns in their reports. Now focusing on building a more robust data model and making iterative improvements to data quality. 

The roundtable discussions focused on using data to drive transformation in local government, with insights from various councils. Participants shared challenges with data integration, particularly its inconsistent use and difficulty in making it user-friendly. One delegate highlighted how their formal intervention led to a transformation programme that uses benchmarking and data comparisons to prioritise initiatives. The importance of accountability, responsibility, and replacing outdated systems with equipped ones was emphasised, with Power BI dashboards playing a central role.

One council raised concerns about using data across partnerships and organisational silos, describing the situation as "data-rich but analytics-poor." Colleagues stressed the need to enhance data analysis skills across teams while highlighting the challenges of integrating data from various services and securing organisational buy-in, especially amidst financial pressures.

The discussion also focused on collaboration and innovation. By stressing the importance of engaging leadership and breaking down silos the LGA data maturity self-assessment tool can be used as a resource for councils starting their data transformation journey.

The roundtable concluded with reflections on the cultural and structural challenges of using data effectively in the face of budget constraints. Despite these challenges, participants were optimistic about using evidence-based approaches to improve services and drive transformation.